Building construction



June 20 1944.

R. M. JAMES 2,351,615

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 4. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June '3. 1940 l l l I I Il l l INVENTOR |I|l|||| l I l ll l I l l l l l I l I l l I I I I l I l II l l l l l IL 5 @wy 8W Q,

. June'20, R. M. JAMES BUILDING CONSTRUCTION I Filed June 3, 1940 4Sheets- Sheet 2 mv TOR 6?. 72 p ma m s June 20, 1944. R, M. JAMES"2,351,615

' BUILDING CONSTRUQTION,

Filed June 3, 1940 .4 Sheets-Sheet 3 k g 1 1 a W 1 m w w 1 f E w m I 5 1m m m W P F =9. -Hwlqflfimhm fi 1111 11 q f 1 W JWHHMMWM MIMI fl nlnkl llnl kh w I 1 1 I 1 K F Junezo, 1944. R. M'. JAMES T4 2,351,615

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jane 3, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet, 4

INVENTOR .I B m'l'aisvs Patented June 20, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE q ini i it 1 l BUILDING CONSTRUCTION g BlobertMaxwell James.Buffalo, N. Y.

Application June 3, 1940, Serial No. 338,505

tonn s. (01. 72-16) -.This invention relates to a building constructionand more particularly to 'aload supporting wall the erection of whichprovides finished sur-y faces on both sides,-each of which can be. ofany desired: appearanceand suitable for either the exterioror theinterior-of the building.

'One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide-a wallconstruction, the load supporting members of which are studs which arefaced with plates composedof-one of the synthetic resin plasticspreferably in combination with a sub stantial amount of filler toreducecost, such plastics being available at low'cost in a wide range ofcolors, finishes and physical'characteristics and'having the strengthand weather resisting properties for use as both exterior and interiorWa-ILpIateSand being capable of being molded with a high degree ofaccuracy to provide ease in erection and to insure weather-tight jointsbetween the panels. 1 91 I "Another object of the invention istoprovidesucha wall construction in which thestuds forming ;the load carryingmembers oan-be made of wood or of concrete and in which.where Portlandcement studs are used, the studs can be poured and built upprogressively with-the erection, ot

the completed wall. a a

Another purposeis to provide plates for facing such a wall constructionwhich are securely interlocked with one another and with the studs andin whichthe platesare so interlocked as to provide weather-tight joints.Another object is to provide such plates which can be provided in-aminimum number ofsha'pes and at the same time not only provide the. fiatsurface ofthe wall but also .the exterior andinterior corners of. theouter wall ,of the house and its partitions. 1 I t Another aim is toprovide such. a construction which is. adaptable to all building.conditions and types of buildings including,permittingthe loca: tion ofdoors, windows or ornamentation as the architect may desire. M

Another purpose of the invention is to provide such plates which can beerectedin either break joint or stacked arrangementfandinwhich thearrangement can bereadily shifted from one to the other to suit thearchitectural effect desired. Another objectis to provide such plateswhich can be sawed in half to provide half sections, the plates being soconstructed as to insure that such half sections interlock in the samemanner as the whole plates to provide weather-tight joints. Anotherobject-of the invention is topro'vide such a wall construction which haslow thermal conductivity; is fire resistant; possesses adequate strengthboth in its load supporting characteristics and also in the ability ofthe facingplates to withstand blows; and which can -be rapidlyerected'by normally'skilled workmen. 1

Another aim is to provide such a building construction in whichsubstantially all of the facing plates can be removed from the .studs'without injury, thereby permitting the plates to be used over againafter the building has been demolished.

Another aim isto provide such a building construction which'is extremelyinexpensive both in the cost of materials and in the labor of erection,thereby permitting the invention to be used in low cost housing. l 1

In the accompanying drawings: l

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary"side elevation of a building constructedfin'accordance. with my invention with studs of poured Portland cement.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line' 2- -2, Fig. 1, and showingindotted lines the manner in which a window and itscasin'g canbe'installed and also showing the manner in which an interior partitioncan be joined to the outer wall of the building. V

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view similar t0Fig.2. y

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical'section taken on line 44, Fig. 1, andillustrating the manner in which a lintel is provided over anopening,such as the Window opening illustrated inFig. 1.

Fig. 5 isa, fragmentary vertical section taken on line 55, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section, 'on a reduced scale, taken online Ii -6, Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a. perspective view,"viewed' from the rear side of one of thefiat plates o f synthetic plastic material illustrated inthe previous"figures and also showing the manner in which 'a clip can be interlockedwith the 'base"plates"forining the inner and outer surfaces of the wall.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view similarto Fig. 7 viewed from the oppositeor front side of the plate.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view similar to Fig. "'7 of one of the curvedexterior corner plates shown inFigs.1-3.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view similar to'Fig. '7 of one of the curvedinterior comer plates shown in Figs. 1-3. p I Vi Fig. 11 is aperspective view of one of the clip used to secure the plates to thestuds. Y

Fig. 12 is a vertical fragmentary section similar to'Fig. 5 and showinga'rnodified formof the inprises a frame made up of a plurality ofstudswhich can either be of poured concrete, as illus-' trated in Figs.1-5, or of Wood, as illustrated in Fig. 12, to which clips aresecured,-these clips being designed to interlock with keys formed in therear faces of the face plates.

and are formed to interlock with one another to provide Weather-tightjoints -and,;also'ar e provided with keys at predetermined places-toprovide flexibility in the application of the plates. The. plates aremadeyin the form ,of 'flat platesto cover the major flat surfaces of thewall; in the form of curved exterioricorners tofprovide'the exteriorcornersof thebuilding; and in the'form of curved interior corners toprovidethe interior corners of the 'building,ithe three formsbeingdesigned to interfit exactly; in the completed structure.

As previously indica'ted,.the wall made in accordance with the presentinvention is faced with relatively thinplate's {composed of :a moldedsynthetic resin plastic which can contain a substantial amount offiller, suchyaswood flour, the plastic selected being' determined by thecolor and appearance desired. and by'its ability toresist weathering,such" plasticshaving the -necessary .strength and otherqualitiesnecessaryefor exterior and interior-use in buildings. ,fEx'ceptat :the corners, these plates are :in 't-heform of rectangular panels.indicated. generally at; 15 which, as best indicated-in Figs. 1 and 8,have flat exterior faces l6. -Along"its upper edge'ea'ch of these platesI5 is provided with a rearwardly offset, upwardly-projecting tongue H,the front face of which is substantially coplanar the rear face I8 ofthe plateso 'as'to provide a groove ill-for the reception of. the loweredge of a plate in thenext. succeedingrupper row.j However, it is.desirablev that 'the front face 'ofithe tongue be arranged. a slightdistance rearwardly. of the rear face l8 of the plate so asto'permitofthe application of caulkingo-r suitableweatherproofingmaterial in the joints between; the plates. This tongue extends from adistance short of one end 23 of the plate, as 'ind-icatedatfll, to apoint beyond theopposit'eend of i the plate and at this opposite :end iscontinued to provide a similar vertical tongue2| :Which'extendsdownwardly to a point 22 shortof the-lower edge; of the plate.

The verticaledge 23 of the plate oppositeithe tongue 2| is formed toprovide a groove :24 for receiving the tongue 2| of the next succeedingplate and for this purpose the plate is provided on .its rear faceadjacentthis opposite vertical edge with a vertical .rib 25, this ribbeing spaced from the edge -:23.;.of the. plate a :distance slightlygreater than theihorizontaliextent .of th'etongue 2| and being providedwith a vertical flange or tongue 26 which togetherlwith the rear face isof the plate and the rib 25 forms the groove 24. This rib :25 :and itstongue 26 extend the .full

heightof the; plate? so "that the groove- 24 likewise The face platesare molded of a synthetic resin plastic.

extends the full height of the plate to the base of the horizontaltongue IT. The rib is also notched upwardly from its lower end along thefiat rear face |8 of the plate, as indicated at 2?, to permit the upperhorizontal tongue 2| of one plate to be fitted against the rear face ofanother plate.

With a series of fiat plates I5 provided with tongues and grooves asabove described, it will be seen that .these plates can be interfittedand interlocked .to provide the flat surface for a wall as illustratedin Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12 and 14.

; :Thus, in horizontal rows the tongue 2| of each I6 and I8 of theseveral plates |5 are coplanar,

as best illustrated in Fig. 2. In laying the next higher row of theplates I5, the lower edge of therow of plates already in place, so as toprovide-a weather-tight horizontal joint between the several walls.Since in the molding of synthetie resin "plastics the product can beheldto extremely accurate dimensions, it will be seen that the tongues canbe made to closely fit the vertical and horizontal grooves provided andinsureweathertightness in both the vertical and horizontal jointsbetween the plates and also that these joints can be madeextremelynarrow.

1 Each plate I 5 is additionally provided on its rear face IS withVertical ribs 30, 3|, 32 and 33 inadditi'on to the rib 25. The rib 30 isarranged exactly one-quarter of the distance from the edge '23 of thepl'ateto'the'opposite edge of the plate and is provided with a notch 34similar to the notch-21 0f the 1% 25, this notch extending upwardlyfr'oin its lower end against the rear face l8 of the plate. The rib 3|is arranged to one side of the vertical centerline of the plate andisprovided with fanotch 35 similar to the notches and 34 of the ribs 25and 30, respectively'."-; In' additionthis central rib 3| is pro-,videdwith a vertical flange or tongue 36 which isidentical with theflange or tongue 26 of the rib 25 and provides'a Vertical groove 31,identicalwith the groove 24 provided by the rib 25 and its rib or flange26. The purpose of providing the tongue and groove 3'! at the center ofthe plate is to permit of making half plates having anend groovesimilar, to the Whole plates by the 'simpleexpedient of cutting thewhole plates in half. Thus it will be seen that by sawing the plate 15along the line A-A in Fig. ,7, which representsthe vertical centerlineof the plate, two half plates are produced, both of which half platescan be used at the ends of the rows of plates, as illustrated in Fig. 1.The two half sections from one-plate will be slightly different fromone'anotherin that the half out from the left of the whole plate |5, asviewed in Fig. '7, will not have a tongue 2| at one end. This is ofslight practical consequence, however, as many oftheselcan be used wherethe presence of a tongue is unnecessary, as at the window opening or ininterior work where the occasional absence of the tonguewould-beunimportant.

The rib 32 is arranged exactly three-quarters of the distance from theedge 23 of the plate to the opposite edge of the plate and is providedwith a notch 38 at its lower end similar to the notches 21, 34 and 35 ofthe ribs 25, 30, 3|, respectively. The-rib 33 is arranged along the edgeof the plate l5 opposite from the edge 23 and likewise is provided witha notch 39 which is similar to the notches 21, 34, 35 and 38 of the ribs25, 30, 3| and 32, respectively. Each of the ribs 30-33 extends from thebottom edge of the plate the full height of the plate as with the rib25. v

For the purpose of attaching the plates to the studs, as hereinafterdescribed, each of the ribs 25, 30, 3| 32 and 33 is shown as providedwith an enlargement 40 atits upper end, each of these enlargements beingof dovetail form in horizontal section and having its enlarged verticalrear end projecting rearwardly from the rear side of its supporting rib.The sides of the dovetail enlargements 40 are preferably vertical andthe enlargements extend a substantial distance down the ribs althoughthis distance is not critical. I

The plates are secured to the studs by means of metal clips 45, each ofwhich, as best shown in Fig. 11, comprises a fiat metal back 46 fromwhich integral vertical side wings 41 project forwardly to provide adovetail groove 48 which conforms to the dovetail enlargements 40 of theribs of the plates l5. The back 46 extends upwardly from the wings 41and at its upper end is provided with a hole 49 to receive an attachingscrew. The major axes of the wings 41 also preferably inclineslightlytowardeach other from the bottom of the clip to the top so thatin driving the clips down the dovetail projections 40, these wings arecaused to firmly engage the sides of the dovetail projections 40 andfrictionally grip these projections. each of theclips 45 is also formedabove the wings 4'! to provide an additional pair of Wings 44 which arebent flat against the front face of the metal back 46 and form a stop tolimit the downward movement of the clips 45 when so driven downwardly onthe upper enlarged dovetail portions 40 of the plates l5.

In Figs. 1-5 is illustrated a building construction in which the studsare made of Portland cement which is poured as the erection of the wallwith the plates proceeds. In erecting a wall with poured concrete studs,indicated generally at 50, a foundation-5|, as of poured concrete, isfirst provided, preferably with upstanding pins 52 at the places wherethe studs are to be arranged. These studs are designed to be placed onthe standard I6" centers or any othercenter selected. and for thispurpose each of the plates I5 is of the same length as the selectedcenterdistance between the studs. Further, since the ribs an 32 arearranged at exactly one-quarter and three-quarters of the distance,respectively, from the vertical edge 23 of each of the plates I5, itwill beseen that the ribs 32 of each row of plates l5 will be arrangedon exactly the selected centers and that also the ribs 30 ofthe seriesof plates will be arranged on the same centers. sure that theenlargements at the upper ends of these ribs will be in proper positionto be secured to the poured concrete studs by means of the clips 45.

Following the'construction of the foundation 5| with the upstanding pins52 a plurality of anchoring clips, indicated generally at 55, are

laid on the foundation wall 5| preferably. immediately adjacent each ofthe pins 52. These foundation clips are made of sheet metal and eachcomprises a flat horizontal'bottomportion 56, the central part 51 ofwhichis preferably The flat metal back 46 of This will in-.

ofiset horizontally to one side, as best illustrated in Fig. 7. At itsopposite ends this body portion is provided with upstanding cars 58which are of such form as to fit any of the notches 21, 34, 35, 38 or 39provided at the lower ends of the ribs 25, 3|), 3|, 32 and 33,respectively.

A tube 50 made of paper, cardboard, metal or any other suitable materialand of any suitable height, is then placed over each of the pins 52,these tubes being held in a vertical position in any suitable manner andthe lower ends of these tubes, of course, also covering the central partof each anchoring clip 55. Thefirst row of plates I5 is thereupon set inposition on the foundation wall 5| against both sides ofthe paper tubesiii! so as to start both the exterior and interior wall surfaces. In sosetting this first row of plates each of'the ears 58 of the anchoringclip is inserted in the notch at the lower end of that rib of the plateI 5 which coincides with the paper tube with which the clip isassociated. It will therefore be seen that the anchoring clips 55 act aspositive spacers so as to insure an exact spacing of the bottom of theinner andouter row of plates. The purpose of providing the offset 51 ineach of these anchoring plates is to insure that the clips can belocated in proper position to catch the opposite ribs of the plates onopposite soles of the paper tubes 60 even though the pins 52 are notplaced with a high degree of precision. Thus,

the clip can be arranged as shown in Fig. '7 or if, through slightinaccuracy, the pin 52 does not permit of such placing, the clip 55 canbe turned end for end so that its offset portion 51 extends in theopposite direction to avoid the pin.

The first row of plates I5 so anchored to the clips 55 are set up withthe flange 2| of each plate being inserted into the groo've24 of thenext succee-cling plate. If the setting up of the plates requires theuse of the half plates, as illustrated in Fig. 1, one of the plates I5is cut in two along the line AA of Fig. '7 so as to expose the groove 31for receiving the flange 2| of the next plate. At the time thefirst'rows of plates [5 are being placed on opposite sides of the papertubes 69, the clips 45, as best illustrated in Fig. 11, are slipped overthe dovetail enlargements til of those ribs of the plates I5 whichcoincide with the paper tubes. These clips are placed so that theirwings 47 embrace the dovetailed sides of the enlargements it] by slidingthe clipsdown from the top of the enlargements 4|) so that thesedovetail enlargements are caught in the dovetail grooves provided by thewings 41. The upper ends of these clips thereby coincide with the papertubes 69 and screws 6| are passedthrough the holes 49 of the clips andscrewed into the adjacent walls of the paper tubes lit). For thispurpose the entire shank of each of these screws is threaded so that thepaper tube will be caught by the thread of the screw when it is finallydrawn tight. It hasbeen found that a remarkably firm connection can bemade by so screwing the clips 45 to the walls of the paper tube.

ter the first inner and outer row of plates 5 have been so screwed inposition, the second row of inner and outer plates i5 is set up inthe'same manner, this second row of inner and outer plates beingarranged so that the tongues ll along the upper edge of the base row fitagainst the rear faces is ofthe plates of the second row and into thenotches 27, 34, 35, 38 and 39, respectively, of the ribs 25, at, s1, s2and es of the row being laid. As the row being laid is set up itsimilarly is provided with clips 45 for those dovetail enlargements '41!whichcoincide with: the paper tubes .68 and these clips are scr'ewed tothe walls-of the paper tubes. .Byproyi'din'g :both the one qua'rter andthree 'quarter ribs and .32 with dovetail enlargements "40, it willbe'seenthatthe plates l 5 can be. laid up either'iin the lbreak'j'ointrelation shown in Fig. 1 or in a stacked arrangement, one of these ribscoinciding with a tube 60 where the tubes are arranged on thepredetermined centers. The other ribs 25, 3! and 33 of the plates areprovided with dovetail enlargements 4B for the sole purpose of permitinggreater flexibility in the location of the studs and to permit employingintermediate studs between those on the predetermined centers where aconcentrated load is to be supported by the wall, or for any otherreason.

In the erection of the wall suitable temporary spacing boards or studscan be used to insure the exact spacing of the inner and outer plates,inasmuch as the paper tubes 69 are capable ofbeing distorted and after asuitable number of rows of the exterior and interior plates have beenscrewed in position the paper tubes 60 are filled with concrete 63 so asto embed the last upper row of screws which have been placed inposition. After this concrete has set, the studs are in the form ofconcrete studs on predetermined centers and the screws 5| are embeddedin these studs so as to securely hold the plates 15 to the studs.

To increase the strength of this securement, it

has been found that bent screws, as indicated at Ela, can be screwedinto the walls of the paper tubes 69 as easily as the straight screwsshown in the other figures. It has also been found that where such bentscrews 6la are employed they are much more firmly anchored in theconcrete inasmuch as they cannot be pulled out of the concrete withoutdistorting the screw or breaking away a part of the stud. 1

Where lintels are required over openings, such. as the window opening 65shown in Fig. 1, the lintel can be in the form of a sheet metal channel66 having upright side flanges 5'! which are spaced to'embrace the papertubes-6| and to engage the opposing faces of the ribs 25, 3S, 3 l, 32and 33 of the inner and outer plates l5, as best illustrated in Fig. 4.This lintel is supported on the through studs at opposite sides of theopening 65, the paper tubes of these studs having been filled withconcrete up to this point and since the upright flanges 51 of thelintelare spaced apart sufficiently to'embrace the paper tube til it will beseen that any number of studs can be built up on this lintel asindicated by the central stud shown at the top of Fig. 1. After theplates l5 have been set up so as to leave the opening as 'shown'in Fig.1, a window or a door frame can be set into this opening in the mannerillustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, this provision of window or doorcases forming no part of the present invention and hence not beingillustrated or described in detail.

As illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 the invention can also be carried outwith a wooden stud and sill construction instead of the concrete studand sill construction indicated in Figs. 1-5. As shown in Fig. 12 theframe ofv the building includes a wooden sill it; which would usually bea standard 2" X 4" sill and which can besecured to the foundation. wall5i in any usual and well known manner. On the sill in wooden studs .1!can be set up on predetermined centers in the usual and well knownmanner. With the wooden construction the base row of plates would besecured by base clips of somewhat different form from the flat platesl5.

base clips 45 used in connection with the poured concrete type ofconstructionillustrated in Figs. 1-5. As best shown in Fig. 13, theclips 12 employed where wooden sills are. used comprise an L-shapedstrip of metal having a horizontal base, a short upstanding finger atone side which is adapted to fit into any of the notches at the base ofany of the ribs provided on the back of the plate 15 and a long winghavinga hole 13. Where wooden sills are employed, the clip 12 ,can besecured to the sill at intervals by means of screws ornails 74, theclips being arranged toenter one of the notches 21, 34, 35,, 3,8 or. 39.at the base of one of the reinforcing ribs on the back oi the plate 15.It will be understood that as many of these clips can'be provided as maybe desired, usually such clips being provided at the opposite sides ofthe base of each'stud to register with that rib of the plate 15 whichcoincides with the stud and an additional base clip also beingpreferably provided in position to hold the opposite end of each of thebase plates.

studs H in exactly thejsame. manner as they aresecured to thepaper tubes60 in the form of the invention shown in Figs. l-5, except that theentire facing of outside plates can jbelaid up independently of thefacing of insidev plates if desired, it not being necessary, as with thepoured concrete studs, that the erection of the outside and insideplates proceed simultaneously. lhecorners of the building are completedby the use of exterior corner plates 75 illustrated in perspective inFig. 9 and interior corner plates 15 illustrated in perspective in Fig.10. These corner plates are shown as being rounded to provide roundingexterior and interior corners, but it will be understood that this ispurely a matter of choice and that these plates could be square corneredif desired. l V

The exterior corner-plates T5 are of the same general form as the flatplates 1'5 except that the exterior corner plates are longer and areprovided with'six vertical ribs instead of five. Of these ribs the firstrib H 'is identical with the rib 25 on the flat plates, having a flangeor tongue 25a forming an end'groove 2% similar to the end groove 24 ineach flat plate The remaining ribs '18, 79, 80, 8! and 82 of theexterior corner plate 15 are each identical with the vertical ribs 36,32 or 33 provided in the flat plate it, each of these ribs, and also therib ll having a dovetail enlargement 40a at its upper end correspondingto the similar enlargements QB on the upper ends of the ribs of the flatplate l5 and each of these ribs 11 -82 also being notched at its lowerend; as indicatedat 83, in the same manner as with the vertical ribs onthe In other respects the form' of each curved exterior plate E5 isidentical with the hat plates, except 'for being curved and the samereference numerals havetherefore been applied and distinguished by thesuffix a. The

curvature of the exterior corner plate 15 is shown as confined to thespace betweenthe vertical ribs 18 and l9so that these ribsprojectinwardly at right angles to each other and are capable of being secured'b'y the clips 35 to the side of a corner stud 58, as best illustrated inFig. 3. As shown in this figure and Fig; 2, these exterior corner'plates '15 exactly join the flat plates I5 so that the, two wallsurfaces are "joined by a smooth unbroken corner provided by thesecorner plates 15. It will beunderstood that where the exterior cornerplates 15 are to be laid up in break In other respects the plates l5 arelaid up and secured to the wooden I studs.

joint relation to one another, the plates limust be provided in rightsand lefts, the rights differing from the lefts by having a reversedarrangement of the vertical groove 24a and the opposite tongue 2| a. p I

The interior corner plates 16 must also be providedin rights and leftsand are used, forall interior corners including the interior corners ofa partition 90, as illustrated in Fig. 2. These interior corner plates16 are of the same general form as the flat plates l5 except that theinterior corner plates are shorter and areprovided with four verticalribs instead of five. Of these ribs, the first rib 9| is identical withthe rib 25 on each of the fiat plates [5, having a flange or tongue 25bforming an end groove 2419 similar to th e end groove 24 in each fiatplate l5. The remaining ribs 92, 93 and 94 ofeach interior corner plate'16 are each identical with the vertical ribs 3%, 32 or 33 provided ineach of the flat plates 5, each of these ribs, and also the rib 9i,having a dove tail enlargement 462) at its upper end corresponding tothe similar enlargements 50 on the upper ends of the ribs of the flatplate l5 and each of these ribs 9l94 also being notched at its lowerend, as indicated at 95, in the same manner as with the vertical ribs onthe fiat plates [5. In other respects, the form of each curved interiorcorner plate 16 is identical with the flat plates, except for beingcurved, and the same'reference numerals have therefore been applied anddistinguished by the suffix b. The curvature of the inner corner plate16 is at its extreme end and is shown in Fig. 10 as adjacent the rib 94,this rib thereby projecting at right angles to the other ribs, althoughin an opposite hand plate the curvature would be adjacent the rib 9| aswith the inner corner best shown in Fig. 3. In securing an inner cornerpiece in position, the dovetail enlargement 60b of the rib 9! willgenerally be attached by means of one of the clips 45 to the adjacentstud, although this will, of course, depend upon the arrangement of theThe inner corner pieces 76 are not secured to the corner studs, thishaving been found not to be feasible.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides awall construction in which plates of an inexpensive plastic and of anysuitable color or appearance are employed to provide the inside andoutside of a stud wall by direct attachment to the studs. The use ofplastics permits of producing the plates to exact dimensions and alsoprovides a strong wall which will stand up under severe abuse and willalso withstand weathering. It will also be seen that the wall can beerected rapidly by normally skilled workmen and is highly fire resistanteven when wood studs are employed and since there is but slight contactbetween the plates and the concrete, where concrete studs are employed,and this further reduced by the presence of the paper shell around thestuds, it will be seen that the wall has low thermal conductivity. Thewall can also be rapidly erected and the construction is flexible enoughto permit of incorporating any desired architectural effect. It willalso be noted that the erected panels can readily be removed by breakingout the lowermost row of panels and sliding the remaining panelsdownwardly without breakage, this permitting the use of the inventioneconomically in connection with temporary structures and also increasingthe salvage value of a building made in accordance with the invention.

, I claim as myinvention: ,1. In a building structure, a plurality ofuniformly spaced studs, aplurality of rigid plates arranged inhorizontal rows against said studs and each equal in length to thespacing of said studs and having their edges formed to interlock withone another, an integral vertical rib projecting rearwardly from therear face of each of said plates one-quarter the distance from each endof each plate so as to permit said plates to be placedin centeredbreakjoint relation to one another with one ofthe said ribs of eachplate in substantially centered abutting relation with a correspondingstud, and means fastening said ribsto said studs in said-centeredabutting relation therewith,, Q i ,7 v

2. Ina building construction, a supporting structure,-a plurality ofrectangular rigid plates laid against said supporting structure and eachbeing provided along two meeting edges with a rearwardly offsettonguethe front face of which is substantially coplanar with the rearface of the plate and each plate being provided on its rear face alongthe vertical edge of its other two meeting edges with a rib, a flangeprojecting outwardly from said rib parallel to said rear face andengaging the rear face of the offset vertical tongue of an adjacentplate, said rib projecting rearwardly from said rear face of said platea distance greater than the rearward projection of said tongues and saidrib being provided at its lower end with a notch engaging the rear faceof the offset horizontal tongue of an adjacent plate, and meansfastening the ribs of said plates to said supporting structure.

3. In a building structure, a plurality of uniformly spaced studs, aplurality of rectangular rigid plates laid against said studs and eachequal in length to the spacing of said studs and each being providedalong two meeting edges with a rearwardly offset tongue the front faceof which is substantially coplanar with the rear face of the plate andeach plate being provided on its rear face along the vertical edge ofits other two meeting edges with a rib, a flange projecting outwardlyfrom said rib parallel to said rear face and engaging the rear face ofthe offset vertical tongue of an adjacent plate, an additional verticalrib projecting rearwardly from the rear face of each of said platesone-quarter thedistance from the same end of each plate whereby saidadditional ribs coincide with said studs and said additional ribprojecting rearwardly from the rear face of each plate a distancegreater than the rearward projection of said tongues and one of saidvertical ribs being provided at its lower end with a notch engaging therear face of the ofiset horizontal tongue of an adjacent plate, andmeans fastening said additional rib of each plate to a correspondingstud.

4. In a building structure, a plurality of studs each comprising a shellfilled with poured concrete, a plurality of rigid plates each havingvertical ribs projecting rearwardly from the rear faces thereof andmeans securing said ribs to said studs, comprising clips interlockingwith said ribs and bent screws extending through said clips and shellsand embedded in the concrete of said studs.

5. In a building structure, a plurality of studs each comprising a shellfilled with poured concrete, a plurality of rectangular rigid plateslaid up in horizontal rows against opposite sides of said studs, saidplates having vertical ribs projecting rearwardly from the rear facesthereof and provided with upwardly extending notches at their lower endsand provided with tongues along. their upperedges fitting into the saidnotches of the next succeeding higher" row of plates, means. securingsaid ribs to said studs comprising clips interlocking with said ribs andfastening members extending through said clips and shells and embeddedin theconcrete of said studs and base clips spacing the base row ofplates and each comprising a flat body portion and upstanding end earsengaging the said notches of opposite ribs of the inner and outer baserows of said plates.

6. Abuilding unit-oi the character described, comprising arectangula-r'rigid plate adapted to be secured to a supporting structureandmprovided along one vertical edge with a rearwardlyoffsetvtongue-the: front face of which is substantially coplanar-withtherear face of the plate and each plate being provided on its rear facealong the opposite vertical edge with a rib and a flange projectingoutwardly from said rib parallel to said rear face to engage the tongueof an adjacent plate, and a second rib and flange substantiallyidentical with said first rib and flange provided alongside the verticalcenterline of each plate whereby a half plate having a marginal formcorresponding to the whole plate is obtained by dividing a Whole plateinto halves.

7'. In a building structure, a corner construction comprising a cornerstud and studs adjacent said corner stud, an exterior L-shaped cornerplate having a pair of vertical ribs on its inner face at its bendprojecting at right angles to each other and an additional vertical ribspaced from said pair of ribs, means securing said first pair ofvertical ribs to the sidesof said corner stud, means securing saidadditional vertical rib to one of said adjacent studs, an interiorL-shaped corner plate on the opposite side of said studs and having avertical rib spaced from its bend and means securing said last verticalrib to one of said additional studs, said bend of said interior cornerplate being spaced a substantial distance from said corner stud.

ROBERT MAXWELL JAMES.

